AQA GCSE COMBINED SCIENCE: TRILOGY
8464/B/2H HIGHER TIER BIOLOGY PAPER
2H 2022 ACTUAL EXAM PAPER 2026
QUESTIONS WITH ANSWERS GRADED A+
◍ What is homeostasis?.
Answer: The maintenance of a constant internal environment.
◍ What is a stimulus?.
Answer: A change in your environment than requires a response. e.g Light,
sound, touch, pressure, pain, chemical or temperature.
◍ What do the receptors do?.
Answer: Detect the stimulus or change in environment.
◍ What happens after the receptors?.
Answer: Receptors send messages to the CNS via the sensory neurone.
◍ What makes up the central nervous system?.
Answer: The brain or spinal cord
◍ What is an effector?.
Answer: Muscles or glands that bring about a response.
◍ What do the muscles and glands do in response to stimuli?.
Answer: Muscles contract and glands secrete chemical
substances(hormones).
◍ What is a sensory neurone?.
Answer: A neurone that carry information from the receptors to the CNS.
◍ What is a relay neurone?.
Answer: Neurones that carry impulses from the sensory neurone to the
, motor neurone.
◍ What is a motor neurone?.
Answer: Neurones that carry information from the CNS to the effectors.
◍ What is the nervous system?.
Answer: It is a system that allows you to react to your surroundings.
◍ How do signals travel across a synapse?.
Answer: The chemical or neurotransmitter diffuses across the synapse and
binds to a complementary receptor on the neurone (postsynaptic). This
causes an electrical impulse to travel down the next neurone.
◍ What is a synapse?.
Answer: A gap between two neurones.
◍ What is the thermoregulatory centre of the brain?.
Answer: Near the hypothalamus, monitors the temperature of blood.
◍ Describe the stages in a reflex arc..
Answer: Stimulus->Receptor->sensory neurone->CNS (relay neurone) ->
motor neurone -> effector -> response
◍ Name responses that reduce body temperature..
Answer: Hairs lie flat, sweat and blood vessels get wider(vasodilation)
◍ What happens during vasodilation?.
Answer: The blood vessels supplying the skin dilate (widen). This helps to
transfer energy to the environment.
◍ Name responses that increase body temperature..
Answer: Hairs stand up, no sweat, shivering and blood vessels
constrict(vasoconstriction)
◍ What happens during vasoconstriction?.
Answer: The blood vessels supplying the skin constrict to close off the skins
blood supply.
◍ What is the body's core temp?.
, Answer: 37 degrees Celsius
◍ What are hormones?.
Answer: Chemical messengers that travel in the blood to target organs.
◍ Compare and Contrast the endocrine (hormone) system and the nervous
system..
Answer: Nervous is faster acting than the endocrine system.Hormones have
longer lasting effects compared to electrical impulses. Nerves act on a very
specific area whereas hormones act more general.
◍ Complete table 1 to compare sexual reproduction with asexual
reproduction.Write a tick in the box if the statement is true.The first row has
been completed for you..
Answer: Sexual reproduction-cell division occurs-fertilisation occursasexual
reproduction-cell division occurs-genes are passed on from parent to
offspring-offspring are genetically identical to each other
◍ What does the thyroid gland do?.
Answer: Produces thyroxine which is involved in regulating metabolism.
◍ What do the adrenal glands do?.
Answer: Produce adrenaline which is used to prepare the body for fight or
flight.
◍ What is the role of the pancreas?.
Answer: Produces glucagon and insulin which are involved in regulating
glucose levels in the blood.
◍ Name the hormone that is released if blood sugar is too high..
Answer: Insulin
◍ What does insulin do?.
Answer: It makes the liver convert glucose into glycogen. This causes blood
glucose levels to decrease.
◍ Name the hormone that is released if blood sugar is too low..
Answer: Glucagon
, ◍ What does glucagon do? HINT GLU-COSE-GONE.
Answer: It makes the liver convert glycogen to glucose. This causes the
blood glucose level to increase.
◍ What is type I diabetes?.
Answer: When the pancreas produces little or no insulin.
◍ What is type II diabetes?.
Answer: When a person becomes resistant to their own insulin. Being
overweight can increase your chances of type II diabetes.
◍ How can type I diabetes be treated?.
Answer: Insulin injections, limiting intake of foods rich is simple
carbohydrates e.g. sugars and regular exercise.
◍ Students investigated the population of earthworms in the soil in two
different areas.-Area A: a grass lawn-Area B: a farmer's fieldChemical X
can be mixed with water and poured onto the soil.The mixture beings
earthworms to the surface of the soil but does not harm the earthworms.Plan
an investigation using chemical X to compare the number of earthworms per
m^2 in areas A and
B. .
Answer: -Same concentration of chemical applied to the soil-Same volume
of chemical applied to the soil-Same size of area sampled e.g. 1m^2 or
0.25m^2-Use of quadrat-Same time between application and collecting
worms-Same time allowed for collecting worm after application-Each
sample area selected randomly-Method achieving randomness e.g. random
coordinates-Count worms in each of the areas A and B-At least 5 repeats in
each of the areas A and B-Calculate mean-Compare means
◍ How can type II diabetes be treated?.
Answer: It can be controlled by eating a carbohydrate controlled diet and
getting regular exercise.
◍ Explain the effect of a high concentration of insulin has on blood glucose
concentration..
8464/B/2H HIGHER TIER BIOLOGY PAPER
2H 2022 ACTUAL EXAM PAPER 2026
QUESTIONS WITH ANSWERS GRADED A+
◍ What is homeostasis?.
Answer: The maintenance of a constant internal environment.
◍ What is a stimulus?.
Answer: A change in your environment than requires a response. e.g Light,
sound, touch, pressure, pain, chemical or temperature.
◍ What do the receptors do?.
Answer: Detect the stimulus or change in environment.
◍ What happens after the receptors?.
Answer: Receptors send messages to the CNS via the sensory neurone.
◍ What makes up the central nervous system?.
Answer: The brain or spinal cord
◍ What is an effector?.
Answer: Muscles or glands that bring about a response.
◍ What do the muscles and glands do in response to stimuli?.
Answer: Muscles contract and glands secrete chemical
substances(hormones).
◍ What is a sensory neurone?.
Answer: A neurone that carry information from the receptors to the CNS.
◍ What is a relay neurone?.
Answer: Neurones that carry impulses from the sensory neurone to the
, motor neurone.
◍ What is a motor neurone?.
Answer: Neurones that carry information from the CNS to the effectors.
◍ What is the nervous system?.
Answer: It is a system that allows you to react to your surroundings.
◍ How do signals travel across a synapse?.
Answer: The chemical or neurotransmitter diffuses across the synapse and
binds to a complementary receptor on the neurone (postsynaptic). This
causes an electrical impulse to travel down the next neurone.
◍ What is a synapse?.
Answer: A gap between two neurones.
◍ What is the thermoregulatory centre of the brain?.
Answer: Near the hypothalamus, monitors the temperature of blood.
◍ Describe the stages in a reflex arc..
Answer: Stimulus->Receptor->sensory neurone->CNS (relay neurone) ->
motor neurone -> effector -> response
◍ Name responses that reduce body temperature..
Answer: Hairs lie flat, sweat and blood vessels get wider(vasodilation)
◍ What happens during vasodilation?.
Answer: The blood vessels supplying the skin dilate (widen). This helps to
transfer energy to the environment.
◍ Name responses that increase body temperature..
Answer: Hairs stand up, no sweat, shivering and blood vessels
constrict(vasoconstriction)
◍ What happens during vasoconstriction?.
Answer: The blood vessels supplying the skin constrict to close off the skins
blood supply.
◍ What is the body's core temp?.
, Answer: 37 degrees Celsius
◍ What are hormones?.
Answer: Chemical messengers that travel in the blood to target organs.
◍ Compare and Contrast the endocrine (hormone) system and the nervous
system..
Answer: Nervous is faster acting than the endocrine system.Hormones have
longer lasting effects compared to electrical impulses. Nerves act on a very
specific area whereas hormones act more general.
◍ Complete table 1 to compare sexual reproduction with asexual
reproduction.Write a tick in the box if the statement is true.The first row has
been completed for you..
Answer: Sexual reproduction-cell division occurs-fertilisation occursasexual
reproduction-cell division occurs-genes are passed on from parent to
offspring-offspring are genetically identical to each other
◍ What does the thyroid gland do?.
Answer: Produces thyroxine which is involved in regulating metabolism.
◍ What do the adrenal glands do?.
Answer: Produce adrenaline which is used to prepare the body for fight or
flight.
◍ What is the role of the pancreas?.
Answer: Produces glucagon and insulin which are involved in regulating
glucose levels in the blood.
◍ Name the hormone that is released if blood sugar is too high..
Answer: Insulin
◍ What does insulin do?.
Answer: It makes the liver convert glucose into glycogen. This causes blood
glucose levels to decrease.
◍ Name the hormone that is released if blood sugar is too low..
Answer: Glucagon
, ◍ What does glucagon do? HINT GLU-COSE-GONE.
Answer: It makes the liver convert glycogen to glucose. This causes the
blood glucose level to increase.
◍ What is type I diabetes?.
Answer: When the pancreas produces little or no insulin.
◍ What is type II diabetes?.
Answer: When a person becomes resistant to their own insulin. Being
overweight can increase your chances of type II diabetes.
◍ How can type I diabetes be treated?.
Answer: Insulin injections, limiting intake of foods rich is simple
carbohydrates e.g. sugars and regular exercise.
◍ Students investigated the population of earthworms in the soil in two
different areas.-Area A: a grass lawn-Area B: a farmer's fieldChemical X
can be mixed with water and poured onto the soil.The mixture beings
earthworms to the surface of the soil but does not harm the earthworms.Plan
an investigation using chemical X to compare the number of earthworms per
m^2 in areas A and
B. .
Answer: -Same concentration of chemical applied to the soil-Same volume
of chemical applied to the soil-Same size of area sampled e.g. 1m^2 or
0.25m^2-Use of quadrat-Same time between application and collecting
worms-Same time allowed for collecting worm after application-Each
sample area selected randomly-Method achieving randomness e.g. random
coordinates-Count worms in each of the areas A and B-At least 5 repeats in
each of the areas A and B-Calculate mean-Compare means
◍ How can type II diabetes be treated?.
Answer: It can be controlled by eating a carbohydrate controlled diet and
getting regular exercise.
◍ Explain the effect of a high concentration of insulin has on blood glucose
concentration..
